~Provoking the Imagination~

Hollywoodland – A Movie Review

I’d heard this was a very good movie and, as it turns out, I heard right.

If you’re not familiar with the story of George Reeves, he is the man who played Superman in the old television series. I mean, the OLD television series from the fifties. Well, anyway, Reeves supposedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head because he was so distraught at the fact he’d been typecast as Superman and couldn’t find any other work once the series ended. However, there have been theories abound that he did not in fact commit suicide, he had actually been murdered.

Thus, in comes Hollywoodland. This movie deals with a private investigator, played by Adrien Brody, digging into the life of George Reeves, played by Ben Affleck, in order to find the true cause of the actor’s death. What he unearths is a longstanding affair with a studio executive’s wife played by Diane Lane. He also discovers that Reeves eventually left Lane’s character for a younger woman.

Of course, you’re seeing all the angles on how and why Reeves died. The only question is, does Brody’s character find the true cause of death?

At times this film is very difficult to follow because of some disjointed story elements as well as an affinity on the actors’ part for mumbling. However, overall, the plot is very good and the acting really is superb. Lane and Brody are always exceptional, but even Affleck, perhaps sensing urgency to prove himself, puts on a heck of a performance. He more than holds his weight with Lane, but his scenes with Brody, as you can imagine, are few.